Trektoberfest 2013

We met in the Oceanside West parking lot to begin a day of pumpkin chunkin and haunted tales. We pushed the start time back to 11:45am which proved to be a wise decision as even at this point in the day many students (and, ok, some of the leaders) were bleary eyed and a little lethargic. The excitement of being reunited, and possibly the large amounts of caffeine, awakened student and leader alike. After everyone was greeted (and parents shooed away), we were off. Our first stop: The Damariscotta Pumpkin Festival.

After a short wait for a shuttle we made our way to the Pumpkin Hurling event to watch a “catapult” (I am still convinced that it was a trebuchet) fling pumpkins hundreds of feet into a nearby body of water and a cannon fire pumpkins at vehicles. We came expecting to see the accuracy of the cannon as it targeted cars that were far off in the distance. We were pleasantly surprised to find that accuracy would play no role: the cannon was all of 20 feet from it’s target. I learned the true destructive force of a pumpkin after seeing them rip through the side of the van before evaporating from the force of the impact.

We left Pumpkinfest and headed to a nearby Hannafords to buy ingredients and make Pizza Torillas in the parking lot. It is from here that we set out for Wiscasset to explore it’s haunted streets with the mysterious Lady in the Red Cloak. The Lady in the Red Cloak introduced us to the darker side of Wiscasset’s history which included curses, witches and a rather inappropriate ghost. The Red Cloak Lady has been followed by spirits from time to time but fortunately none decided to come aboard the Trekkers’ bus.

The tour had ended but we had time to spare and large amounts of energy to expend. Following an impromptu stop at Dunkin Donuts, all of the Trekkers were at fever pitch. The solution: a Dance Party. Mere’s Eclectic Cafe had the bus blaring out everything from Miley Cyrus to Michael Jackson and Florida Georgia Line. The hour of dancing that followed left everyone spent and ready for some rest when we pulled into OSW.

Thank you to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to reconnect. It was great to have another incredible Trekkers experience with Team Puma.